Chapter 38: Rise of the Rogues

It was a peaceful afternoon at S.T.A.R. Labs. Barry was in the midst of playing four simultaneous games at the same time. After scoring another point in ping pong against Cisco, he sped over to a chess board where he moved his rook to Dr. Wells' bishop. He then sped over to a TV, where Victor was playing a round of Mortal Kombat. He hit the controls at high speed managing to land a few blows before zooming over to Caitlin, who had an Operation Game out on a table.

"This game isn't even remotely anatomically correct," She commented.

"That's not the point, Dr. Snow," Barry remarked.

"Mr. Allen is correct," Dr. Wells agreed. "We are attempting to test his ability to handle various tasks at super speed, utilizing cognitive reasoning, hand-eye coordination, and precision."

"That, and Operation was the only board game I could find in the breakroom," Cisco added.

Meanwhile at CCPD headquarters, Joe was at his desk looking through some old case files. As he skimmed through them, he found the file for Nora Allen's murder. The second he laid eyes on it, a flood of memories came back, including young Barry's pleas to him about his father's innocence. He closed his eyes, leaning back and pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Headache, Joe?" Eddie's voice asked.

Joe looked up and saw Eddie walking up to him.

"No, just looking over some old cases."

Eddie took a look.

"The Nora Allen case. Heard about that. Real shame. Wonder what made the husband snap like that."

"Starting to think otherwise."

"Really? Why the change of heart? Didn't you work that case?"

"Yeah, but Barry was insistent that his dad was innocent. Said there was something in his house that night."

"Something?"

"A man in yellow, moving too fast to see. I thought he was just a kid in shock, but now..."

"We do live in a world of gods and monsters," Eddie conceded. "Maybe there was something."

"That's what I hope to find out. Give me a hand?"

"I can try, but this weird stuff… it's not my forte. You need someone with a bit more brain power than me."

Joe pondered for a minute, remembering something that might help.

"I think I know just the one."

Elsewhere, an armored truck was driving down the street as a man on a motorcycle surveyed the scene.

"A hundred and eighty two seconds, gentlemen," he directed.

The biker then took off after the car, soon being flanked by a second biker that drove on the other side of the truck.

"Hey," the truck driver let out. "I think we got something."

Before the two truck drivers could react, a pick up truck pulled backwards out of an alley and drove right behind them. The two bikers grabbed cables from the pick up and hooked them onto the armored truck. The pick up then slammed on the brakes, bringing the armored truck to a stop.

"Alright boys, let's take it through the paces," the leader instructed, getting off his bike and walking over to the pick up. "Scudder, the cameras. Harkness, keep the guards from doing something stupid. Mick-"

"Yeah, yeah, look out," Mick grumbled. "You said I could torch something."

"Patience," the leader replied, pulling out a liquid nitrogen pack from the truck. "All in good time. A hundred and fifty eight seconds to go."

The one named Harkness wne to the front of the armored truck, opening the door and pulling the driver out, punching him in the face.

"This is a 211!" the second driver reported. "211! We are-"

Suddenly, Harkness whipped something out of his wrist, revealed to be a boomerang, that hit the second driver across the face before shattering the window and whipping back around to him.

"That might be a problem," Harkness reported.

"Relax," the leader replied. "Still have a hundred and forty nine seconds."

The leader then started spraying the back of the armored truck with liquid nitrogen, slowly freezing it over.

Back at S.T.A.R. Labs, Dr. Miller was taking notes on Barry's behavior, her chair parked behind the main console where she was out of the way. As she wrote, she took note of a red light that began blinking on the console.

"Excuse me, is this red light important? It's saying something about a 211."

"211?" Barry repeated. "That's an armed robbery in progress. Where's it happening?"

Kari took a look.

"An armored car in downtown Central City."

"It seems duty calls," Dr. Wells noted. "Guess we'll have to continue this experiment later."

"Guess so," Barry agreed.

"Need some back up?" Victor offered.

"Nah, I got this."

Barry quickly grabbed his Flash suit and sped off.

Back at the armored car, the leader had frozen the door enough so he could ram into it, knocking it down. Before he could do anything else, the Flash ran onto the scene and began knocking down the robbers, even speeding into the truck and knocking him to the street. The leader pulled off his mask in irritation. Mick saw the Flash's presence and was furious.

"Fry, you freak!" he yelled, firing a flame thrower he had brought with him.

Flash easily evaded the flames, speeding around Mick and decking him easily. Harkness threw one of his boomerangs to try and hit him, but Flash easily snagged it.

"You're joking, right?"

Mick fired his flame thrower at the pick up, setting it on fire and causing it to explode. The blast knocked Flash back, allowing the four of them to escape on the two bikes. Flash shook his head as he picked himself up, groaning in pain.

"It's gonna be one of those days…"

Joe came running into STAR Labs, where Iris was helping Caitlin apply burn ointment onto some of Barry's burns. Kari was taking notes of his accelerated healing as this went on, Dr. Wells peeking over her shoulder to see what she had.

"Barry, you alright?" Joe asked.

"Fine," Barry reassured. "Believe me I've had worse."

Caitlin opened a new tube of cream, rubbing it onto a rather nasty wound.

"By my estimation, he should be properly healed within the next two hours."

"Really?" Kari asked. "My estimation puts it at one hour and 12 minutes."

"Really?" Caitlin replied. "Where are you getting your numbers?"

Kari showed Caitlin her calculations as Joe sat down next to Iris.

"What happened?" he asked.

"Four men attacked an armored car," Barry explained. "There was a man with a flamethrower, another with, I kid you not, boomerangs, and another with a liquid nitrogen pack. I'm not sure what the fourth was doing"

"Any idea who they are?"

"Actually, one of them took off his mask. I saw his face."

"Alright, I'll gather a few perp books and have you take a look, once you're a bit less crispy."

"Sounds good."

"I'll keep an eye on him," Iris volunteered.

"Sounds good," Joe replied. "Uh, Dr. Miller, got a minute?"

Kari looked up, surprised. She gave a nod, handing Caitlin her findings before rolling over to Joe. He took hold of the handles of her chair, rolling her out of the Cortex.

"Everything alright, Detective?"

"Yeah, I was just wanting a second opinion on something."

"I'll try and help. What do you need?"

Meanwhile in an abandoned warehouse just outside the city, the four criminals reconvened to discuss what happened. The second they got there, Mick turned on the leader.

"Why didn't you mention a freakin' Leaguer showing up?!"

"A naive hope that petty criminals like us would go unnoticed by the likes of the Flash. A mistake. One I won't repeat."

"The great Leonard Snart actually admits to making a mistake," Scudder quipped. "Never thought the day would come."

"I woulda had the blighter," Harkness insisted. "Next time, he won't catch it. It'll slice off 'is fingers."

"The man can break the sound barrier before breakfast," Snart remarked. "You honestly think a little boomerang is gonna stop him?"

"Ah, ya might be right. Maybe it's time I upgraded. Mick 'had' a flamethrower afta all, big step up from gasoline an a box ah matches. Maybe I cin git somein ta add a little kick ta my babies."

Scudder paused for a moment, considering something.

"Perhaps it is time to step up our game."

"Ya got something in mind?" Snart asked.

Scudder smiled slightly

"As a matter of fact."

Back at CCPD, Barry ran up to Joe, seeing him talking with Kari at his desk. She had a file in hand, which she closed when he approached.

"Barry," Joe greeted. "How're you feeling?"

"Better. Hey Dr. Miller. Fancy seeing you here."

"Just doing a favor for Detective West," she explained. "Nothing major."

"Ah."

"So," Joe spoke up, pulling out a book of mugshots. "You said you could ID one of the perps."

"Yeah."

Barry took the book and began flipping through it at super speed, finally stopping on one particular page.

"There. That's him."

Joe took a look, and his face grew grim.

"Leonard Snart."

"Snart?" Eddie's voice repeated. "Did you just say Snart?"

"Hey, Eddie," Barry greeted. "You know this guy?"

"You might say that. Snart was pulling a job out in Keystone before I transfered. Me and a few other officers tried bringing him in, but all we got for our troubles were 3rd degree burns and frostbite. And don't even get me started on those boomerangs."

"Sounds like these guys have a motief," Barry remarked.

"They're dangerous, there's no doubt about that."

"He was a problem around here too," Joe added. "His dad was a cop, and a bad one. Steered him down the wrong path. Shows up in town every six months to do a job with his boys. They pull it off and skip town."

"Well, that was before the Flash came into town," Barry reassured.

"Yeah well nothing against the Flash," Eddie commented. "But I hope he doesn't get to them before I do."

Kari let out a small cough, reminding everyone of her presence.

"Should I just… come back later?"

"Probably so," Joe suggested. "Keep the file, though."

She nods, then rolls off. Barry watched her go, giving Joe a look.

"What's the file for?"

"Meta case," Joe answered. "Wanted her to help look into it. I figured you'd have your hands full with Snart and his Rogues."

"Right," Barry replied, heading towards his lab. "Better get on that."

Back at the warehouse, Scudder led his fellow Rogues into an area that was marked off with opaque plastic sheeting. There was even a sign duct taped to it that read "Stay Out Mick". Mick growled at it, ripping it off as they all followed him inside.

"In my infinite time off, I've done a bit of collecting," Scudder explained. "Nothing major, just a few trinkets to make the jobs a bit more… exciting."

Harkness passed a table and saw several small circular devices on it.

"What are these things?"

"Micro explosives," Scudder answered. "Small as a penny, but the blast radius of ten packs of C-4."

"Blimey. I could do some damage with these."

"Indeed you could. Just, try not to blow your own hand off."

Harkness just scoffed as he took out a few boomerangs, working to place the explosives on them. Mick meanwhile saw a strange looking gun with a red gas tank attached to it. He picked it up to get a feel for it.

"What's this thing do?"

"Thought you might like that," Scudder remarked. "Fires highly concentrated, combustible liquid fuel that ignites on contact with the air. Instant flames."

"Awesome."

Mick aimed it at a stack of old boxes and fired, shooting a stream of fire that ignited them instantly. He cackled in enjoyment, savoring the flames. That's when Scudder grabbed another gun off the table, aiming it at the blaze.

"You all might want to cover your eyes."

The two did so as Scudder unleashed a white torrent of flames onto the burning boxes. Surprisingly, these white flames didn't make the fire worse, it completely froze it over. When it was over, everyone looked at the frozen boxes, beyond confused.

"Okay mate, wot the hell?"

"I'll admit, this particular device is somewhat of a mystery to me. The white fire it emits burns cold, almost reaching absolute zero."

Snart took hold of it, looking it over. Scudder took the opportunity to hand him a pair of goggles.

"These should help."

Snart took the goggles and placed them over his eyes.

"Nice fit. Though what's left for you?"

"Well I did save something special for myself."

Scudder went over to a box and opened it up, revealing an orange and green jumpsuit.

"Something from my days at S.T.A.R. Labs."

"What is it?" Snart asked.

"Quantum reflector suit. It allows me to manipulate quantum fields in reflective images, allowing me to travel between them."

"So what?" Harkness chimed in. "you can walk through mirrors or something?"

"Something like that. Perhaps a demonstration is in order."

Scudder slipped on the suit and turned towards a broken window. He ran at it and dove right into the glass, vanishing.

"Crikey!" Harkness exclaimed.

"Impressive," Snart commended.

Scudder then reemerged from another mirror, standing before the group.

"And that's just a small sample."

"I think we can put this to good use," Snart mused.

Caitlin sat in her office, looking over a photograph. She let out a sigh, setting it back down on her desk. As she got back to work, Vic came walking into the room.

"Hey Caitlin, have you seen my dad? He wanted to work on my weapons systems."

"Sorry, I haven't. I think he's helping Dr. Wells in the storage room."

"Ah." Victor then noted the picture on the desk, seeing it was of Caitlin and some guy holding each other. "Is that your fiance? The one who died?"

Caitlin paused, then sighed and nodded.

"Ronnie Raymond. He was there that night. He went into the accelerator, trying to find a way to redirect the power. He ended up getting trapped inside… we never even got his body."

"Aw man. I'm sorry."

"Hey, you lost something too. You lost your body, I lost my soul..."

"Sometimes, I gotta remind myself I'm not the only one who lost something that night… still, we both did gain one thing."

"What's that?"

"A chance to help people in ways we never thought possible. Me through the League, you through Barry."

"Yeah. Life has a funny way of working things out like that, doesn't it?"

"I guess so."

Kari sat in her lab, the file out on her desk as she worked on several things at once. As she did that, her desk phone buzzed, prompting her to hit the speaker phone button with her pen.

"Miller," she greeted.

"Dr. Miller, there's a Detective Joe West from CCPD here to see you."

"Send him up."

She then hung up, returning to her work. Joe walked into the lab, looking around at the chaos and whistling.

"And I thought Barry was messy."

"I am what the scuttlebutt around the breakroom have dubbed a 'disaster scientist'," Kari declared. "I simply enjoy having multiple projects in order to keep myself occupied."

"Find enough room in there for our project?"

"The Allen case, yes." She shoved herself across the room, turning her chair sharply so she was in front of a large filing cabinet. "I began looking into any extranormal cases from about 15 years ago, around the time of Nora's murder. I came up empty."

"All these aliens and whatever around the world and nothing from then? How is that possible?"

"Let me correct that: I mean that there are no meta-human cases from 15 years ago."

"No metahumans at all?"

"None. The first metas didn't come around until the particle accelerator went off."

"Which didn't happen until recently."

"Exactly. Even worse, the only metas on record that can hit that kind of speed is Flash. However, I HIGHLY doubt that Barry was the one who killed his mom."

"Agreed. So, what? We're back at square one?"

"Well, yeah. However… I did find something. Around the same time as Nora's murder, there was serious power fluctuations and reports of floating liquid, like what multiple people reported when the particule accelerator went off. I'm wondering… could these events be linked somehow?"

"Could be. Fortunately, I know who we can ask."

Meanwhile at the Central City Museum of History, Scudder walked into the building. He brushed passed a guard, slipping a small mirror onto his belt.

"Sorry," he apologized, walking towards the mens restroom.

Once inside, he slipped off the trenchcoat he was wearing, revealing his orange and green jumpsuit. It also had a hood with green goggles and a belt holding two blasters. Once his equipment was secure, he dove into the bathroom mirror, which rippled like water as he vanished into it.

In the security room, the guard Scudder bumped into sat down to begin his shift at the monitors. As he sat down, Scudder stepped out of the planted mirror, immediately knocking the guard out. He then set the guard down in the chair, shoving it aside and allowing Scudder to work.

"Alright, Snart, I'm in. Working to shut down cameras and motion sensors."

"Good work, Scudder. Harkness, deal with the guards around the target. Discreetly."

"Can do, mate."

Out on the museum floor, Harkness was dressed in a blue outfit and jacket, under which were a series of boomerangs tucked into pockets on his shirt. He soon approached three guards in front of a large diamond that was on display.

"Afternoon gentlemen," He greeted.

Upon seeing him, the guards began ushering him away. He smirked as they led him right into the security office. Once they were inside, Scudder knocked out two while Harkness punched out the third.

"Guards dealt with, discreetly," Harkness declared.

"Your cue, Snart," Scudder reported.

At the front door, Snart walked in the door in a blue parka and the cold gun's goggles. Mick was right next to him, dressed in a grey jacket and pants, a pair of red goggles over his eyes and the heat gun at his hip. They strolled right inside the museum, being noticed by a pair of guards. The guards walked towards them, much to Mick's chagrin.

"They're trying to stop us."

"They're all yours, Mick," Snart declared.

"Excuse me, sir-"

Mick then whipped out his heat gun and fired on the two guards, causing them both to burst into flames. Mick cackled at the blaze as the two criminals continued inside.

"I love this thing!"

"Let's stay focused. No doubt CCPD knows we're here. If not them, then the Flash."

"Bring them on! I'll roast them all!"

"And Mick's goin' off agin," Harkness groaned. "Typical."

"Just stick to the plan," Snart instructed.

"How long?" Wells asked as he and Silas stood in the storage room.

"I… I don't know," Silas admitted.

"Let me rephrase. How long has this equipment been missing?!"

"I don't know!"

"Silas, do you realise the potential danger these weapons could pose to the city? To Barry?!"

"Believe me, I am well aware of that, having been the one who constructed half of them! However, I was under the impression our security actually meant something."

"Well, apparently not. Now, I suggest you figure out exactly what was taken and who took it before S.T.A.R. Lab's already tarnished reputation is sullies even further!"

Just then, an alarm started sounding throughout the facility. The two just looked up, a sense of dread washing over the pair.

"That can't be good," Silas let out.

Inside the cortex, Victor looked at the console to see what was going on.

"Robbery in progress, Central City Museum," he reported.

"Contact Barry and let him know," Wells instructed.

"Right. Yo Barry, you there?"

"Got the report from CCPD, I'm en route now. Want to join me?"

"Would be happy to."

Victor opened up a Boom Tube and hopped through.

"Victor, wait!" Silas tried to stop.

It was too late however, as the Boom Tube closed up behind him.

At the museum, the four criminals reconvened at the diamond display, eying it maliciously.

"It's beautiful," Scudder commended.

"And it's ours," Snart declared.

Snart used his cold gun to blast the case, shattering it and leaving the diamond untouched. He picked it up smiling. Just then, a Boom Tube opened up, allowing Cyborg to leap in and aim his cannon at the four rogues.

"Alright boys, hands in the air! Now!"

They all raised their hands, turning to face Cyborg.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the Tin Man," Snart remarked. "Not the Leaguer I was expecting, but you'll do."

"Alright, snowman. Show me what you got."

Before Cyborg could fire a shot, Snart shot his cold gun at his cannon, freezing it over.

"What the-"

Harkness then took the opportunity to throw one of his explosive boomerangs at Cyborg's frozen arm, blowing it off. Cyborg cried out in pain as he knelt over, allowing Snart to aim his gun at him. Just as he fired, Flash entered the room and pushed him out of the way, allowing him to get hit with a stream of cold. Flash tumbled onto the ground before grabbing Cyborg and speeding them behind a pillar.

"You ok?" Flash asked.

"Nothing a little… spit and polish can't fix," Cyborg replied, grunting with each sentence. "How about you?"

"It stings. Like, really stings."

"Create some friction, it'll warm you up."

Just then, Scudder appeared in front of them, aiming his blasters at them and opening fire.

"Later!" Flash let out, grabbing Cyborg and moving out of the way.

As Flash rounded the corner, Scudder seemed to appear again, opening fire as well.

"What the hell?!" Flash questioned, barely dodging the blasts.

"He's everywhere!" Cyborg exclaimed. "How is he doing that?!"

"Hard light holograms, Scudder informed. "Adapted from my reflective technology. I believe your father helped me perfect it… Victor."

"What?!"

Before Scudder could respond, Mick stepped forward and tried firing at them, causing Flash to accidentally drop Victor as he tumbled to the ground. They both landed hard as the four villains surrounded them.

"Nice try, kid," Snart told him. "Thanks for playing."

Before he could fire, the CCPD began to arrive, with Eddie barely waiting for the car to stop before climbing out.

"Eddie, wait!" Joe called out as Eddie stormed in.

"Leonard Snart, you are under arrest!"

Snart just spun around and opened fire on Eddie, causing him to roll out of the way of the blast before opening fire. The bullet missed as Harkness tossed a boomerang.

"Catch this!"

He threw it right at Eddie, Flash noticing the blinking red light on the metal projectile. Flash instantly ran towards it and caught it, throwing it just as it exploded. He, the CCPD, and Eddie were all thrown back by the force of the explosion, their ears ringing and several of them suffering from severe burns. Slowly, Flash pulled himself up and lumbered over to Cyborg.

"Vic… Boom Tube us out..."

Cyborg slowly activated his systems and opened up a Boom Tube right under them, allowing them to escape. Snart and the others took advantage of the dazed state of the CCPD and made their escape as well.

"That was awesome!" Mick cheered.

"For once, I agree with ya, mate!" Harkness declared. "I could get use ta this!"

"Agreed," Snart concurred.

Back at S.T.A.R. Labs, Barry was being tended to for his burns while Victor's plating was being examined for damage. They watched as his arm began to literally rebuild itself, taking bits of metal from all around the lab to reconstruct the missing limb.

"That would be pretty cool if it wasn't because of terrible circumstances," Cisco commented.

"Eh, I've had worse," Victor dismissed. "How's Barry?"

"Skin still feels numb," Barry commented.

"It's presenting itself as third degree frostbite," Caitlin relayed. "It's slowing your healing. To be honest, if your cells weren't regenerating at the rate they are, you'd be much worse off."

"I'd feel better if I knew what those guys had," Barry admitted.

"The guy with the weird light things, he said that my dad helped him build it," Victor recalled.

Barry turned towards Silas as he stood in the doorway with Wells' chair next to him.

"Silas, is this true?" Barry asked.

Silas let out a breath.

"The man you encountered… his name is Samuel Scudder. He was a colleague here at S.T.A.R. Labs."

"Specializing in weapons?" Barry asked, getting to his feet.

"It was never my intention! He was a brilliant quantum physicist with tremendous ideas. However, we later discovered he planned on weaponizing our projects and selling them to the army. When we realized this, he was fired, and his creations were locked away to be forgotten."

"Until today," Wells added. "It would seem in the wake of the accelerator malfunction, Scudder saw fit to abscond with his designs, as well as other experimental devices we had in storage."

"Including miniaturized explosives and guns that spew fire and ice," Barry deduced. "Weapons that killed two security guards and nearly killed members of the CCPD today."

"Exactly," Wells nodded. "Thus, they must be recovered post-haste."

"Right," Barry agreed. "We'll start with those guns. Anything that powerful has to have a power source we can track."

"Liking the way you think," Cisco replied, manning his keyboard. "The gun pretty much functions as a mobile cryo engine, so finding areas of decreased temperature shouldn't be too hard."

"In the meantime, we need to prepare for whatever these guys throw at us next," Barry cautioned.

Back at the warehouse, the four criminals were looking over their ill gotten prize.

"Look at the size of that beauty," Harkness commented. "How much do you think something like that would be worth?"

"Couple hundred million by my guess," Scudder replied.

"Who cares about the diamond? We should think bigger!" Harkness insisted. "With these babies, there's no safe we can't crack, no museum we can't steal. This city will be ours for the taking!"

"Getting a little ahead of ourselves aren't we?" Snart asked, fiddling with his gun. "I agree that with weapons like these, no one can stop us. No one, except the Flash. And now that we've injured one of his, he'll be hunting for us."

"So we snuff him out before he snuffs us," Mick guessed.

"Exactly. Once the Flash is gone, Central City will be our personal playground, where we can do and take whatever we want. But only after we kill the Flash."

"And what's to stop the League from stepping in?" Scudder questioned. "There's more than one of their ilk in this city, or have you forgotten the Tin Man."

"I haven't forgotten," Snart reassured. "Taking out the Flash will be a warning to any other super saps hoping to take over. You wear a mask over your face," Snart fired a blast at a nearby chair, freezing it and causing it to shatter. "We freeze it off."

Back at S.T.A.R. Labs, Wells was in his office, going over the inventory list with a tense expression. As he worked, Joe walked in, pushing Kari as he did.

"Dr. Wells?" He called out.

"Detective," Wells greeted. "Barry has fully healed from his wounds and is currently-"

"I'm actually here to talk to you," Joe shared.

"Really? Well, what can I help you with?"

"We actually had some questions for you, if you don't mind," Kari chimed in.

"I suppose not. What did you want to ask?"

"It's about a case I'm reopening," Joe explained. "The murder of Nora Allen, Barry's mother."

"I see. Well, I'm willing to lend what aid I can if it means getting closure for Barry."

Kari pulled the file out of her lap, opening it up.

"I've read over the case file myself," Kari told him. "Single stab wound to the heart, Henry Allen covered in his wife's blood. All seems like a normal case of a husband lashing out, until we get to Barry's witness statement. He describes a 'tornado of red and yellow lightning, with a man in yellow inside'. He blinks, and he's several blocks down the street. Now, I know I haven't been in the scientific field as long as you have, but in all of my research into xenobiology, only one being has been able to move that fast."

"We were wondering if it was possible if someone with Barry's 'abilities' killed Nora," Joe added.

"Possible, except for one problem. This event happened fifteen years ago, which is long before the particle accelerator was built, much less suffered it's unfortunate fate."

"Maybe, or maybe not," Kari chimed in. "Around the time of Nora's murder, there were reports of power surges, as well as cases of 'floating water', much like what happened last year. It makes me wonder if the S.T.A.R. Labs Accelerator wasn't your first go at the project."

"I see… well, let me assure you it was."

"When did you move to town, Dr. Wells?" Joe questioned.

Wells gave Joe a bit of a look before sliding off his glasses.

"Something tells me you already know, detective. Tell me, are you investigating Nora Allen's murder, or me?"

"Just asking a question, Doctor."

"I need to help Barry with his search. You want something to investigate? Tess Morgan. Look her up."

With that, Wells rolled away, leaving the two investigators alone.

Meanwhile, once Victor's arm was regrown, he went looking for his dad, finding him in the storage room.

"You doing alright?" He asked, getting Silas' attention.

"Victor, I didn't hear you come in."

"Look, from what you told me, that Scudder guy was a jerk. You can't blame yourself for what he and Snart are doing with that tech."

"Actually, I can." Silas turned to Victor, removing his glasses. "When S.T.A.R. Labs was closed down, Dr. Wells tasked me with destroying all of the dangerous tech here in storage. It was my responsibility, but I had… other concerns."

"You mean me?"

"I was trying everything in my power to save you, to salvage what little familial connection we had, and trying to make you as comfortable as possible in a mechanical body that was all my doing. That became my one and only focus."

Victor was honestly surprised by this. He knew his father was regretful of what happened, but to hear the lengths he went to in making sure he was alright, it was shocking to say the least. Instantly, Victor stepped forward and hugged him. Silas was surprised, just standing there stunned.

"You were doing what any father would do in your place," Victor assured him. "Don't beat yourself up. There's been enough of that already."

Silas just smiled as he returned the hug.

"Thank you, son."

Back in the cortex, Cisco was still searching for the cold gun's energy signature, but was also working with Barry to identify the rest of the culprits in the gang.

"We have Snart, the man with the cold gun," Barry listed off. "Then there's Scudder with his hard light gun, a man with boomerangs, and a man with a very large fire gun,"

"Sounds like quite the crew," Cisco remarked. "Shouldn't be too hard to ID Captain Cold's buddies though."

"Captain Cold?"

"What? He's got a cold gun, it fits."

"Oh boy," Caitlin let out. "You've been wanting to do this since we started this whole investigation, didn't you?"

"Eh, pretty much. Hey, since there are four guys here, you can name one."

"I'll pass."

"Your loss," Cisco replied as a blip appeared on his screed. "Got a hit on one of them. Mick Rory. Big time arsonist. Set his house on fire when he was about 16. Since then, he's been obsessed with fire."

"Guess he's a real fire bug," Barry noted.

"Obvious choice for the heat gun," Cisco agreed. "Here's the thing though. Both the cold and heat guns are designed to fire at their maximum temperature. For Snart's, it's absolute zero, the complete lack of motion in molecules. For Rory's, it's absolute hot, the hottest temperature an object can reach."

"So how does that help us?" Barry asked.

"Since the two are at the opposite ends of the temperature spectrum, if the two were to cross beams, they would cancel each other out."

"Cross beams? What, like Ghostbusters?"

"That movie is surprisingly scientifically accurate," Caitlin quipped.

"So yeah, cross the beams and both Captain Cold and… Heatwave, get the wind knocked out of them," Cisco declared

"Heatwave?" Barry asked.

"Well it was either that or fire bug," Cisco retorted as another blip appeared on the screen. "Got the fourth one. Digger Harkness, ex-special forces for the Australian SIS. After being discharged, he became a soldier for hire for just about anyone. His M.O, razor sharp boomerangs."

"Yeah, I noticed," Barry replied. "Now, he's outfitted them with micro explosives."

"What are you gonna call this one?" Caitlin questioned. "Captain Boomerang?"

"No, I was gonna go with… Kaboom Boomerang…" Cisco instantly felt the regret coming out of his mouth. "You know what, Captain Boomerang works. Let's just use that."

"That just leaves Scudder," Barry recognized. "What are you thinking of naming him?"

"If I may interject," Scudder called out from the entrance of the cortex. "I've personally taken to the name 'Mirror Master'."

"Shit!" Cisco let out.

"How did you get in here?" Caitlin asked.

"Apparently, your security is still quite poor," Mirror Master remarked. "Now then, where is Silas Stone?"

"Who?" Cisco asked. "Never heard of him."

"Is that so?" Snart, AKA Captain Cold declared as he stepped out from behind Scudder, Heatwave and Captain Boomerang following suit. "Well then, perhaps we just need to jog your collective memories."

Heatwave raised his heat gun towards the three, prompting them all to raise their hands. Before anything more could happen, Caitlin spoke up.

"Silas Stone no longer works for S.T.A.R. Labs," she insisted. "He left for a better position in Jump City."

"Well that's a shame," Cold remarked, motioning Heatwave to lower his gun. "I guess we'll just have to supplement. Mick, grab the girl."

Mick grabbed Caitlin.

"Hey, hey!" Barry shouted. "Leave her alone!"

"Back off, kid!" Mick threatened, aiming the gun at her.

"Now, the five of us are going to take our leave. Try to follow, and… well, you get the idea."

Mirror Master then pulled out a tiny mirror and tossed it to the ground, allowing them to leap through as Captain Boomerang threw a boomerang around the room before shattering the mirror behind them, preventing them from following. The two looked at the now shattered mirror in shock.

"Mirror Master..." Cisco repeated. "Fitting..."

Barry just gave him a look in response.

"Sorry."

At CCPD, Eddie was skimming through various case files involving Leonard Snart as Joe came walking in. the second Eddie saw him, he jumped to his feet.

"Joe, there you are. Where have you been?"

"Working another case, but that's not important right now. Just got word that Snart and his boys just kidnapped a girl from S.T.A.R. Labs."

"What? Why?"

"Not sure, but I'm assuming we're about to find out."

He gestured up to the TV, where is showed Captain Cold, Mirror Master, Heatwave, and Captain Boomerang standing around a terrified Caitlin.

"Greetings, citizens of Central City," Snart addressed. "I am Leonard Snart. But you can call me Captain Cold. I'm gonna make this very simple for everyone. All we want is the Flash. Porter and Main, tonight, sundown. Come out, and come alone. No Leaguers, no CCPD, just you. Or this woman dies."

"No, don't come for me!" Caitlin begged. "Stay away!"

The broadcast then cut out, leaving the two detectives concerned and determined.

"I need all available officers to Porter and Main!" Eddie ordered.

Across town, watching the footage through the window of an electronic's store, a homeless man perked at the sound of Caitlin's voice. Long, greasy hair parted to reveal wild eyes, ones that almost seemed to be devoid of pupils.

"Caitlin…."

Back at S.T.A.R. Labs, Barry had finished watching and instantly became irritated.

"Any way we can trace that video?" He asked.

"Working on it now," Cisco replied.

"You know this is probably a trap, right?" Victor cautioned.

"I know, but I can't let them hurt her."

"But what about your meet and beat with the Rogues Gallery?" Cisco questioned.

"I'll be there," Barry reassured. "It'll be up to you two to find Caitlin. Bring her home."

"You can count on us," Cyborg reassured.

Barry nodded in response, then zipped into his suit.

"Uh, no offense Barry, but shouldn't we call in some help?" Cisco asked. "Like Batman? Or the fish guy? Or Superman? He could just punch these guys out with a flick."

"The League has their own problems to deal with. Besides, Central City is my turf, and my city. I will defend it, no matter what."

"Just… be careful out there, ok pal?"

"Count on it," Barry replied, pulling his mask on.

He then zipped out of the cortex to face the Rogues.

At the warehouse, Mick was tying Caitlin to a chair to ensure she couldn't escape.

"You're a friend of his, huh?" Mick questioned, "He's fast... Like fire. Fire, it's undefinable. Heat, light, energy. It's an evolution when things burn."

"You're sick," Caitlin snarled.

"Maybe you're the sick ones," Mick argued. "You ever think about that?"

"No, you're definitely the rat bag in this lot," Harkness declared, sharpening a boomerang.

"Who asked you?" Mick snapped.

He finished tying her up, Caitlin taking note of the burns covering his hands.

"You've got third-degree burns," She pointed out. "Are those from the house fire? The one that killed your family?"

"No, these… These came later. You see the thing about that fire, it revealed my true self, showed me who I really am." He picked up his flame gun, hefting it in one hand thoughtfully. "I wonder what your Flash will reveal when I burn his suit and skin off."

"Do whatever you want to me, but leave him alone."

"You and this Flash must be really close if you're willing to die for him, hmm?" Mick noted, turning the gun on so a small flame gathered at the tip. "You want me to show you who you really are? That'd be fun. Show you who you... Really are.

"Mick," Snart snapped, getting his attention. "Time to go.

"I just finished the rigging on the door," Skudder declared. "Good think we still had that stash of C-4."

Before Caitlin could say anything else, a rag was forced into her mouth, gagging her and cutting off any cries.

"Just sit tight," Snart told her. "And pray the next people that come through this door are us."

At Porter and Main, police barricades were set up to keep civilians away from what everyone could only assume was going to be a massive fight. Just then, the Flash sped right past the cops, coming to a stop in the middle of the street, waiting for his opponents to arrive. He glanced back as Joe and Eddie, the former giving him a small nod of encouragement.

"The Scarlet Speedster!" Cold called out as he and the others came walking down the street. "Glad you could make it!"

"What can I say?!" Flash called back. "You gave me an offer I couldn't refuse!"

"Cute! So, any preference on how you'd like to die?! We're all itching to try something!"

"Surprise me!"

"Gotcha! Ready when you are!"

The four Rogues eached aimed their weapons at the Flash, who just clenched his fists as he eyed the four down. Finally, he darted forward, speeding right past the Rogues as they opened fire. As Flash circled around, Mirror Master created a few duplicates to try and shoot at him. Flash easily evaded their blasts as he ran up and punched through one of them, causing it to shatter like glass.

"That's new," Flash remarked before narrowly avoiding one of Heatwave's blasts.

He ran back into the fray, blowing past Cold and Boomerang.

"Cover me!" Cold ordered.

Boomerang nodded as he threw five boomerangs at once. Flash saw this and ran along a building trying to avoid them. He leapt off the building and landed on the roof of a car, quickly leaping off as the boomerangs connected, causing the car to explode. While Flash was doing that, Cold fired his gun along the street, hitting a fire hydrant and freezing the spewing water.

"Run on this," Cold remarked.

The second Flash's foot hit the frozen ground, he slid right towards the icy hydrant and crashed into it, knocking him to the ground.

"Barry," Silas' voice called out, to Flash's surprise.

"Dr. Stone?"

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah. You're just not the voice I'm used to."

"I figured you could use some help taking down these weapons from the man who helped create them."

"Got a plan for two of them. Get them to cross beams and cancel their guns out."

Flash saw Heatwave firing his gun at him, prompting him to speed out of the way just before the blast hit.

"It's everyone else I'm having a problem with."

In the warehouse district of the city, Victor and Cisco were continuing their search for Caitlin.

"Are you sure Caitlin's here, Cisco?" Victor asked.

"I was finally able to trace the video Captain Cold broadcast," Cisco answered.

"But there's over a dozen warehouses here."

"Yeah, but only one of them has had the heat on the last three nights. And I'm betting Mick Rory likes it hot."

As they approached the building, they were surprised to see the homeless man standing in front of the door. He had his hands on the door, and to the shock of both rescuers, both of his hands were on fire.

"Uh, hey man," Cisco greeted. "You doin alright?"

The fire suddenly stopped, and the homeless man lowered his arms.

"You need to get back," he warned. "It's not safe here."

"Bout to tell you the same thing," Cyborg replied. "We're in the middle of a rescue mission right now, so why not let us handle this?"

"No. We can't. You don't… you can't feel it… not like we can."

"We? You got a friend around here?" Cisco asked.

The homeless man shook his head, one hand clutching his skull.

"Just- Just listen to us. There are 27.846 kilograms of Composition C-4 hooked up to a titanium trip wire secured to the door."

Cyborg turned and did a scan of the door, hoping to get a glimpse inside.

"I think he's right. I'm detecting high grade explosives inside. And… our new friend here got it down to the decimal point."

"Snart must've rigged so it'd go off if anyone else beside them came back," Cisco deduced. "But how did you-?"

"We know things," the man insisted. "We can make the door safe, but you need to get back."

"What can you do?" Cyborg asked.

The man placed his hands back on the door, igniting them with fire once more. The fire started melting away at the door, and suddenly, the C-4 went off. The two just had time to scream before they realized that the man was literally absorbing the explosion into his body.

"Whoa…" the two let out at once.

When it was over, the man stumbled slightly, catching himself on the doorframe before shakily going inside. Cisco and Victor headed in after him, finding him approaching a tied up Caitlin. He grabbed the ropes binding her, yanking them apart like they were nothing before removing her gag.

"Are you alright, Caitlin?" He asked.

Caitlin didn't respond, she just stared at the man, her eyes slowly widening.

"...Ronnie?"

The man didn't answer. He just backed up as Caitlin got to her feet. Before anything more could be said, the man's head and hands burst into flames and he took off into the air, smashing through the ceiling as he made his escape. Cisco and Cyborg ran over towards Caitlin and helped her up.

"Are you alright?" Cyborg asked.

"Yeah…" Caitlin barely let out.

"You sure?" Cisco asked. "What happened?"

"It was Ronnie..." She whispered. "I don't know how… but that was Ronnie. He's alive..."

Back with the Flash, he was forced to run up the side of a building to avoid the constant attacks from the Rogues, hoping to work out a plan for how to stop them. As the fight progressed, Iris arrived at the scene, looking around in fear.

"Barry…" She muttered. "Please be ok…"

Flash then started making his way down the building and onto the street, where he got shot in the back by one of Mirror Master's doubles. Flash tumbled to the ground as the four Rogues began surrounding him.

"Nice try, hero," Cold sneered. "I'd say better luck next time, but… well, you know."

Mirror Master aimed one of his blasters at him ready to fire. Suddenly, a stray bullet shot through the blaster, damaging it and knocking it out of his hand. The four turned to see Eddie holding a smoking gun and aiming it at the group. Flash took this chance to plow through the four of them, knocking them to the ground. Captain Boomerang quickly recovered as he tossed a boomerang at Flash, unaware that Flash had grabbed one of his and threw it at the same time. The two boomerangs collided and caused each other to explode, knocking him back.

As Boomerang fell to the ground, Flash turned back towards Mirror Master, who had just created three more duplicates that opened fire on him. Flash easily dodged the blasts, seeing that Mirror Master's doubles didn't cast shadows on the ground, prompting Flash to scan for one that did. Finally seeing one, he dared forward, socking Mirror Master right in the face and knocking him to the ground.

"Two down, two to go," Flash listed off.

He then turned to face Captain Cold and Heatwave, both of whom were priming their respective weapons.

"Looks like your lucks run out," Cold remarked.

Flash looked at the two, seeing they were on opposite sides of the street, aiming their guns at him. Thinking fast, he quickly came up with an idea. He slowly started walking towards the two rogues, who immediately opened fire on him. The intense heat and cold hit him instantly, causing him to cry out in pain as he made his way further and further down the street. Captain Cold and Heatwave just smirked maliciously as they poured the power on Flash. Once the two were right across from each other, Flash sped out of the way, causing the two streams to cross and create a massive shockwave that knocked them back. They both fell to the ground hard as Cold tried to reclaim his gun. Before he could, Eddie snagged it with his foot, kicking it away before aiming his pistol right at Cold's face.

"Not this time, Snart."

Cold just fell back in defeat as Flash approached Eddie.

"Thanks for the save, detective."

"Consider it returning the favor for the museum. It could have ended a lot worse."

"Let's just be glad it didn't."

With that, Flash sped off as Eddie proceeded to arrest the Rogues.

Later at S.T.A.R. Labs, Caitlin was getting a once over by Silas and Dr. Wells to make sure she was unharmed.

"How's she doing?" Barry asked, walking in.

"Physically unharmed, thank God," Silas answered.

"Ronnie..." Cailin let out. "He was there. He saved me.."

"Ronnie?" Barry repeated.

"Her fiance," Victor answered. "She insists that this homeless meta that helped us out was Ronnie."

"Real headcase," Cisco declared. "And that was before his head caught fire."

"His… head caught fire?" Barry questioned.

"Yeah, and his hands too," Cisco confirmed. "Melted right through the steel door."

"Whoa."

"Whether he's Ronnie Raymond or not, we should keep an eye out for him," Wells suggested. "As for you, Mr. Allen, you performed admirably tonight."

"Thanks."

"Go enjoy your evening," Silas insisted, grabbing the confiscated weapons. "I'm going make sure these are never used to harm an innocent again."

"Will do," Barry replied, speeding off.

As everyone left, Joe came in with Kari in tow. When Wells saw them, his face became serious.

"Detective. Dr. Miller. What can I do for you?"

"We're here to make amends," Joe explained. "I had Dr. Miller look up Tess Morgan."

"She was your research partner back in Maryland," Kari recalled.

"Yes," Wells confirmed. "We were... Married to the work as much as to each other. "

"Then she died, around the same time Nora did," Joe added. "Car accident, she never stood a chance."

Wells let out a long breath, which seemed to shake with long suppressed emotions.

"After the accident... I couldn't go back to work. Couldn't go back to our lab. "

"So you moved here," Kari pieced together, "where no one knew you or could remind you of what you'd lost. It must have been hard."

"It was…" Wells admitted. "I found it difficult, starting over, rebuilding, and what took me fourteen years Tess could have done in four, believe me, she... She…"

He had to take a moment to compose himself, removing his glasses and wiping his eyes.

"At the time of Nora Allen's murder, the particle accelerator that I would eventually create was but a notion, much less a reality, and so whomever or whatever is responsible for her death, it did not originate from me or from my work."

"I'm sorry we doubted you, but I hope we can still count on your help," Joe told him.

Wells chuckled, putting his glasses back on.

"You don't give up, do you?"

" Nope," Joe confirmed. "Not till I get my man. I owe that to Barry and to Henry."

"Barry is lucky to have you on his side, Joe."

"We'll find the man in yellow," Kari insisted. "Of that, I have no doubt."

Meanwhile, the four Rogues were being hauled away in a prison truck, with Mick being more than furious.

"I should've burned the entire city block down. But instead, I listened to you. We had the diamond, we had the weapons. We could've had everything. But you had your stupid plan. How is that stupid plan working out for us now?"

"It's hit a snag," Snart admitted. "We'll just have to adapt is all."

"How exactly are we gonna adapt when we're in the slammer?" Harkness questioned. "I don't know about you, but orange ain't my color."

Just then, the truck stopped abruptly, much to the confusion of the Rogues.

"What the-" Scudder let out.

Before Scudder could finish, the door suddenly began to shift, becoming solid gold. As the entire door became golden, a hammer smashed right through it, the pieces crumbling to the ground to reveal a brunette woman in a black leather suit. She dropped the hammer, golden hand prints left where she'd been holding it.

"I'm always cleaning up after you, aren't I, Leo?"

"Good to see you too, sis."

Meanwhile, Joe and Kari had returned to her lab to go over the case files, hoping to get a new angle on the investigation.

"I might have missed something," Kari suggested. "An unreported meta, or mislabeled files. Who knows."

"We'll figure this out," Joe assured her. "We know he exists, and we will find him."

Kair smiled in response. Just then, the power to the lab went out. Before either of the occupants could question it, the door to the lab was thrown open as a whirlwind of red lightning surrounded the two of them. Joe instantly pulled out his gun, but it was suddenly wrenched from his hand. Kari tried reaching for a panic button, but was yanked out of her chair and thrown across the lab. Through the lightning, the pair could see a blurry image of a man in yellow with glowing red eyes.

As instantly as the man had arrived, he quickly departed, leaving the two alone. Joe went over and helped Kari back into her chair. She was shaking in terror and clearly in shock. Joe was not much better, his hands shaking as he went to set her down. Just as he did, he stopped, seeing a scalpel embedded into the seat of the chair. Even more terrifying was that the scalpel was stabbed through a framed picture of Iris, one that sat on his mantel back home. There was also a note stabbed into the backrest that simply read "STAY AWAY".